IOC’s abdication over Russia is causing much angst as clock ticks down to LA28 Olympics Sport Business It’s baffling that sport’s global leaders are still prevaricating over Russia as the LA28 Olympics and Paralympics draw ever nearer, says Ed Warner. To Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium last week for the second outing of The NEDwork, a gathering of chairs and non-executive directors from across Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic governing bodies. Russia’s [...]
Ukraine hits out at EU decision to unsanction former Arsenal owner Usmanov Sport Business Ukrainian officials have hit out at a European Union decision to remove former Arsenal co-owner Alisher Usmanov from its sanctions list. The Uzbek-born businessman, who once owned around a third of the current Premier League champions, was stripped of his sanction status alongside Mikhail Fridman – a prominent Russian financier – after a successful lobbying [...]
Rocco Forte Hotels’ Russian outpost pays out bumper dividend Business The ring-fenced Russian arm of Rocco Forte Hotels has paid its shareholders a dividend worth more than £3m, despite the luxury hospitality chain being accused of bankrolling Putin’s war machine in Ukraine by maintaining operations in Russia. Astoria Hotel Joint Stock Company – the holding group for Rocco Forte Hotels’ Russian portfolio – distributed £3.2m [...]
Citi hit with £5m fine for violating UK sanctions on Russia September 2, 2026 Citi has been hit with a fine of nearly £5m after regulators found it violated the UK’s sanctions regime on Russia. The Wall Street giant’s London branch was found to have processed £19.7m in illicit transactions spanning 970 payments. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) ruled that, in one instance, Citi failed to freeze [...]
Ex-UK minister Robertson rubbishes Ukrainian claims he aided Russia’s Olympic return August 10, 2026 Former Sports Minister Sir Hugh Robertson has shut down claims he was central to Russia’s readmission into the Olympic Games, telling City AM that claims he is a “Russian stooge” are “rubbish”. The former Conservative cabinet minister and the International Olympic Committee’s chair of the Working Group on the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, has described [...]
Italy Pirlo hire off after Russian betting firm links revealed July 27, 2026 Italy’s plans to name Andrea Pirlo manager of their national football team have been scrapped after his links with a Russian betting firm were criticised by politicians. Pirlo, the 47-year-old manager of Dubai United, has been a global ambassador for Fonbet since October and was all but confirmed for the Italy job despite no official [...]
Investor visa proposed by Labour-aligned think tank July 9, 2026 Investor visas should be offered to 100 applicants each year, who would offer £3m in an upfront cash injection in return for residency rights in the UK, a think tank favoured by Labour has said. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), which has had a number of policy recommendations adopted by Labour, said the [...]
Russians are poised to compete at the LA 2028 Games as IOC lifts ban July 7, 2026 Russians are poised to compete at the LA 2028 Games after the International Olympic Committee lifted its ban on the Russian Olympic Committee. The Russian Olympic Committee had been banned since October 2023, following the invasion of Ukraine, but the International Olympic Committee now argues that the ROC “no longer includes as its members any [...]
Exclusive: Russian ambassador was invited to box at Queen’s Club June 25, 2026 The Russian ambassador to the UK was invited to sit in a box at Queen’s tennis club during last week’s 2026 HSBC Championship, City AM can reveal. Andrey Kelin, who has been Vladimir Putin’s chief diplomat based in the UK since 2019, was photographed at the private tennis club in West London during the precursor [...]
Procter & Gamble axes relationship with Kremlin propaganda channel June 23, 2026 Procter & Gamble is the latest firm to cut ties with a Georgian TV channel after it was sanctioned by the UK and labelled a mouthpiece of the Russian state, City AM can reveal. The giant behind brands including Gillette and Pampers had continued to advertise with Imedi TV despite the company being flagged on [...]